It’s time to start coaching as OTAs arrive
No pads. No helmets. No contact.
And yet Texans coach Bill O’Brien and his assistants are pumped about the start of organized team activities this week.
For the first time since the nine-week offseason program began April 21, O’Brien and his staff will get to coach the players in seven-onseven, nine-onseven and 11-on-11 drills at Houston Methodist Training Center. Players can’t hit, of course, but this part of the offseason program will give the coaches and personnel department a good idea of where they stand going into training camp in West Virginia.
Second-year quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is undergoing rehabilitation from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, will be involved in some of the drills but won’t participate in 11-on-11.
Considering how many players suffered season-ending injuries last season, it will be interesting to see who is limited in practice and who is rehabbing on an adjacent field.
The last part of the offseason program, which concludes with the mandatory, three-day minicamp June 12-14, is the most important, according to the coaches.
The first OTA on Monday is the start of Phase Three of the program that began with two weeks of conditioning. During Phase One, no coach was allowed on the field other than those from the sports-performance department — or strength and rehab, as it used to be called.
A few new wrinkles
During the first two weeks of the program, players spent most of their time learning about Luke Richesson, the new senior director of sports performance, and his staff. They redid the weight room and cafeteria and brought a new philosophy to the organization they hope will contribute to fewer injuries than the Texans suffered last season — 20 players placed on injured reserve, including 13 starters.
Four months after Richesson was hired, players have bought into his teaching methods and the way he is trying to change the culture when it comes to strength, conditioning, diet and rehabilitation, among other things.
In Phase Two, players spent four hours a day at the facility. Coaches could work with the players on the field, but there were no team drills, no offense vs. defense and no one-on-one competition. It was mostly about conditioning with Richesson and the mental part of the game, including fundamentals.
This week is different. When players and coaches take the practice field Monday for their first OTA, they will be governed by strict rules about what they can and cannot do, but they expect to get a lot out of it.
During this stage of the program, players must spend six hours a day at the facility. The 10 OTAs are spread over three weeks. This is when the coaches have the most fun. From watching the players go through their drills, they will get a better idea of where they are physically and mentally.
O’Brien is running the offense and calling plays. Romeo Crennel, who spent last season as assistant head coach, returns as defensive coordinator.
The coaches will get a good look at veterans who signed as free agents, such as safety Tyrann Mathieu, cornerback Aaron Colvin, cornerback Johnson Bademosi, guard Zach Fulton, guard Senio Kelemete and offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson.
They have three new quarterbacks in Brandon Weeden, Joe Webb III and Stephen Morris, and all will get extra work because Watson will be limited. Because he knows O’Brien and the system so well, Weeden should be ahead of the others.
Chance to gauge progress
One thing the coaches enjoy most about Phase Three is watching progress made by younger players, especially those entering their second season. This phase of the offseason program and the minicamp gives second-year players like Watson, inside linebacker Zach Cunningham, offensive tackle Julién Davenport, defensive end Carlos Watkins, guard Kyle Fuller, inside linebacker Dylan Cole and safety Treston Decoud a chance to show how much they have improved.
When running back D’Onta Foreman recovers from surgery on an Achilles tendon, he will join that second-year group trying to make a positive impression and win a starting job.
Even though they participated in the rookie minicamp last week, draft choices and undrafted free agents will be lost trying to keep up with the veterans.
And there is minicamp
The last part of the program is the minicamp, the only mandatory part of the offseason program. Players take physicals when they report. They spend 10 hours a day at the facility. They practice two times for a total of 3½ hours, and the second practice is limited to a walk-through.
The players love the minicamp because it signals the end of the offseason program and the start of a six-week vacation before they report to training camp in late July.
By that time, O’Brien and his coaches should have a better idea about who is going to work with the first-team offensive line and how the secondary is going to shake out after general manager Brian Gaine made moves to improve both problem areas.